Last Modified: Wednesday, January 23, 2013 at 5:16 p.m.

Twin Oaks Mobile Home Park property manager Derek Batsel stands outside a '52 trailer that the owner of the park wants to remove.

Doug Engle/Star-Banner

By a unanimous vote Tuesday, the Ocala City Council approved an ordinance that will allow property owner Mark DeBolt to replace mobile homes in the park one time per lot if he enters into an agreement with the city.

What will be included in that agreement is still unclear, but could include items such as fencing, number and location of units to be replaced and a time limit. That agreement will be brought to the City Council for its consideration.

Before the vote Tuesday, the city only allowed conforming mobile homes in a park or subdivision with mobile home zoning to replace a unit once.

The Twin Oaks property, which lies between East Silver Springs Boulevard and Fort King Street just east of the Sav-A-Lot grocery store, is not zoned for mobile homes. It is zoned B-2 on the north side of the property off Silver Springs Boulevard and R-3 on the south, or Fort King side. Because it does not have the mobile home zoning it is considered nonconforming.

The purpose of having the property as nonconforming is that, eventually, the market would make the property too valuable for a mobile home park and the owner would sell and the property would develop into something else.

"It doesn't mean it stays that way forever," said Marc Mondell, the city's executive director of community development. "In the interim, until the market is able to take care of it, it gives you the ability to better maintain this property."

DeBolt, who owns DeBolt Properties and who sits on the Downtown Business Alliance Board, bought the property in 2007. There are 32 units in the park and 12 vacant slabs.

There are single-family homes located to the south of the DeBolt property. Those property owners were not notified of the impending change. Tye Chighizola, director of the city's Growth Management Department, said that, because no zoning change was needed, the city was not required to notify the neighbors.

"My ultimate goal for that property is it still not be a mobile home park forever," DeBolt told the City Council on Tuesday. "Many of these units continue to get older and dilapidated."

DeBolt said he bought the property with the intention of either selling it or developing it. But the market has changed considerably since he purchased it. If he cannot replace the dilapidated units, he is not going to be able to attract renters and, without the income, will not be able to afford to run the park. He is paying taxes and for 47 water hookups on the property. He has taken out several dilapidated units.

"It doesn't make sense to pay for all that infrastructure and not have any units generating rent in there," DeBolt said Wednesday.

He would like to maintain the park and beautify it until such time as he finds a buyer or can develop it in another way.

"I just need to be able to operate and make that thing work as best I can," DeBolt said. "I don't think the council was excited about it, but it's really the only fair way to go forward."

If he cannot make money to improve the property, then the park will fall further into decline.

"The better it looks, the better the tenant," DeBolt said. "It's a win/win for the community and me, I guess."

Jackie Piper has lived in the park for about 18 years. Her husband managed the park for about five years before his death. When he became ill, she left her job to care for him. She is now 77 years old and lives on Social Security, like many other park residents. She said DeBolt told the residents that if the right buyer came along he would sell.

"I can't blame him if the right man comes along with the money," Piper said. "That would hurt me really bad."

Piper said she has three daughters, but would not want to move in with them as long as she is able to care for herself.

Recently, Camper Village, a recreational vehicle park off State Road 200, was sold and residents were told they had 90 days to vacate the property.

"I would panic, I guess," Piper said, if she had to move on short notice. "Lord have mercy. I hope he doesn't sell. Give me three or four more years. But you never can tell. I would have to deal with that. I'd just have to ask the Lord to help me through it, but it has been home to me."

She said DeBolt, who she called "a really nice fellow," has been making improvements at the park.

"Mark's really trying to fix this place up. I don't know if he is fixing it up to sell it. I would say that he is," Piper said. "I just hope he doesn't sell but, him being a businessman and the right person comes along and gives him the right money, somebody down the road will."

<p>The Twin Oaks Mobile Home Park, a nonconforming park in the middle of the city, has been given a new life — at least, perhaps, until the market changes.</p><p>By a unanimous vote Tuesday, the Ocala City Council approved an ordinance that will allow property owner Mark DeBolt to replace mobile homes in the park one time per lot if he enters into an agreement with the city.</p><p>What will be included in that agreement is still unclear, but could include items such as fencing, number and location of units to be replaced and a time limit. That agreement will be brought to the City Council for its consideration.</p><p>Before the vote Tuesday, the city only allowed conforming mobile homes in a park or subdivision with mobile home zoning to replace a unit once.</p><p>The Twin Oaks property, which lies between East Silver Springs Boulevard and Fort King Street just east of the Sav-A-Lot grocery store, is not zoned for mobile homes. It is zoned B-2 on the north side of the property off Silver Springs Boulevard and R-3 on the south, or Fort King side. Because it does not have the mobile home zoning it is considered nonconforming.</p><p>The purpose of having the property as nonconforming is that, eventually, the market would make the property too valuable for a mobile home park and the owner would sell and the property would develop into something else.</p><p>"It doesn't mean it stays that way forever," said Marc Mondell, the city's executive director of community development. "In the interim, until the market is able to take care of it, it gives you the ability to better maintain this property."</p><p>DeBolt, who owns DeBolt Properties and who sits on the Downtown Business Alliance Board, bought the property in 2007. There are 32 units in the park and 12 vacant slabs.</p><p>There are single-family homes located to the south of the DeBolt property. Those property owners were not notified of the impending change. Tye Chighizola, director of the city's Growth Management Department, said that, because no zoning change was needed, the city was not required to notify the neighbors.</p><p>"My ultimate goal for that property is it still not be a mobile home park forever," DeBolt told the City Council on Tuesday. "Many of these units continue to get older and dilapidated."</p><p>DeBolt said he bought the property with the intention of either selling it or developing it. But the market has changed considerably since he purchased it. If he cannot replace the dilapidated units, he is not going to be able to attract renters and, without the income, will not be able to afford to run the park. He is paying taxes and for 47 water hookups on the property. He has taken out several dilapidated units.</p><p>"It doesn't make sense to pay for all that infrastructure and not have any units generating rent in there," DeBolt said Wednesday.</p><p>He would like to maintain the park and beautify it until such time as he finds a buyer or can develop it in another way.</p><p>"I just need to be able to operate and make that thing work as best I can," DeBolt said. "I don't think the council was excited about it, but it's really the only fair way to go forward."</p><p>If he cannot make money to improve the property, then the park will fall further into decline.</p><p>"The better it looks, the better the tenant," DeBolt said. "It's a win/win for the community and me, I guess."</p><p>Jackie Piper has lived in the park for about 18 years. Her husband managed the park for about five years before his death. When he became ill, she left her job to care for him. She is now 77 years old and lives on Social Security, like many other park residents. She said DeBolt told the residents that if the right buyer came along he would sell.</p><p>"I can't blame him if the right man comes along with the money," Piper said. "That would hurt me really bad."</p><p>Piper said she has three daughters, but would not want to move in with them as long as she is able to care for herself.</p><p>Recently, Camper Village, a recreational vehicle park off State Road 200, was sold and residents were told they had 90 days to vacate the property.</p><p>"I would panic, I guess," Piper said, if she had to move on short notice. "Lord have mercy. I hope he doesn't sell. Give me three or four more years. But you never can tell. I would have to deal with that. I'd just have to ask the Lord to help me through it, but it has been home to me."</p><p>She said DeBolt, who she called "a really nice fellow," has been making improvements at the park.</p><p>"Mark's really trying to fix this place up. I don't know if he is fixing it up to sell it. I would say that he is," Piper said. "I just hope he doesn't sell but, him being a businessman and the right person comes along and gives him the right money, somebody down the road will."</p><p>Contact Susan Latham Carr at 867-4156 or susan.carr@starbanner.com.</p>